Gettysburg 150th: History, mystique draw visitors from across the US

Brandie Kessler, York(Pa.) Daily Record

Published 12:00 am, Saturday, June 29, 2013

Image 1of/2

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 2

Laurel Stewart, 7, plays in the hollow stump of a former witness tree on the Gettysburg battlefield Friday as her parents, John and Maryann Stewart, look on. John Stewart, of Long Island, N.Y., is a deputy chief ranger at Fire Island National Seashore. less

Laurel Stewart, 7, plays in the hollow stump of a former witness tree on the Gettysburg battlefield Friday as her parents, John and Maryann Stewart, look on. John Stewart, of Long Island, N.Y., is a deputy ... more

Image 2 of 2

Ellen Stewart, of Blackwood, N.J., photographs her son, Johnny, 8, at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial on Friday. Stewart and her husband, John, brought Johnny to Gettysburg for his birthday gift.

Ellen Stewart, of Blackwood, N.J., photographs her son, Johnny, 8, at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial on Friday. Stewart and her husband, John, brought Johnny to Gettysburg for his birthday gift.

Gettysburg 150th: History, mystique draw visitors from across the US

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - They come here from all across America.

For many visitors, Gettysburg is a sight to behold.

For Dave Maser, who made the 60-hour drive from Durango, Colo., it is something more.

"I came here to feel it," Maser said.

The passion, the valor and the fear that filled the air before the Confederates clashed with the Union soldiers -- each side fighting for the most important thing a man has, his beliefs -- fascinates him, Maser said.

"It would be the confluence of all the emotions," he said.

Visitors like Maser have been arriving steadily for Gettysburg's 150th anniversary events. The activities, including two multi-day re-enactments -- the first of which began Friday -- commemorate the battle that raged July 1-3, 1863.

It was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, with at least 46,000 casualties over the three days of fighting. The Union victory was a turning point in the Civil War.

Maser recently retired from UPS and sold his house in Durango to move to Maple City, Mich. He drove to Gettysburg after closing on his house.

"I've got such a respect for American history. I wanted to get back on this side of the country to see the places I've read about in history books," he said.

For some, the trip to Gettysburg wasn't as well-planned.

Robb Vandenburg, his fiancee and brother were driving through Pennsylvania early Friday morning, headed from their home in Kaukauna, Wis., to a wedding in Virginia.

They heard about the 150th anniversary on the radio.

"So I pulled my cell phone out and then a map and said, 'that's not that far,'" he said.

"We're military history buffs," Vandenburg said, noting their father served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

That's how they ended up looking at monuments near Reynolds Woods, named for Maj. Gen. John Reynolds, the senior Union commander who was mortally wounded on the first day of the battle.

Cars on the battlefield Friday bore license plates from around the country. Gettysburg, a town of 7,000 people, expects to host more than 30,000 visitors each day through July 7, according to the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Visitors are drawn by patriotism, some to contemplate how the battle has shaped American history, while others are drawn by family interests.

John Stewart, a deputy chief ranger at Fire Island National Seashore in New York, has been to Gettysburg more than 100 times, but it doesn't get old, he said. This year, he and his wife, Maryann, brought their daughter, Laurel, 7, for her sixth visit.

Stewart said he visits Gettysburg several times a year. It's what inspired him to pursue a job in the National Park Service.

"I wasn't a big history person" before visiting Gettysburg, he explained. But a visit in 1991 gave him a "connection to national identity." He teaches Laurel about the history, which she demonstrated by rattling off the names of several key Union commanders.

"Our hope is that she will bring her family back one day," Maryann Stewart said.

Kim Woods, of Wayland, Mass., decided to stop in Gettysburg after picking her son up from a camp in Annapolis, Md.

"I came to Gettysburg two years ago with my older daughter looking at colleges," she explained. "We literally drove in and out of Gettysburg" after looking at the local college, and they didn't make it to the battlefield.

Woods said that made her feel like a bad American.

Her son, Christian, 15, was excited to stand in a place of such historical importance.

"Certain events in the past signify where we are today," Christian said. Gettysburg "is the battle that changed the fate of America. How many men died here for this single idea?"

Steven Tye, a re-enactor from Pekin, Ind., returned to Gettysburg for the first time since he graduated from high school.

"Do you ever feel haunted, like something gnaws at you for awhile?" Tye said. "I have waited 19 years to come back here."

Tye said his introduction to Gettysburg came from writing a paper in grade school.

Since then, he's been fascinated with the place.

This year, he came with his son, Andrew, 12, and their friends to participate in the Blue Gray Alliance re-enactment being held at the Bushey Farm outside town.

Tom Garvey and Wendy Hoffert, of Akron, Ohio, said they couldn't stay away from Gettysburg.

"We're next door," Hoffert said. "For me, (coming to Gettysburg is important) because it's hard to fathom all the losses. ... This is one of the biggest moments in our history."

She said her great-great-grandfather trained cavalry horses, and that adds to her interest.

Garvey said he loves the questions the battlefield sparks in his mind.

"Where would we be if the outcome was different?" he said.

On Dec. 7, 2011, Steve Platte, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was at the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

"I guess I like anniversaries," he said with a laugh, explaining why he made the 620-mile drive to Gettysburg. A retired science teacher, Platte said he is a history buff.

"I've never been here before. I came because I wanted to go to a re-enactment. I wanted to be here because (Gettysburg) was significant to our history," he said.

Now Playing:

Platte recalled being at Pearl Harbor and picturing the Japanese planes, like mosquitoes, flying overhead and dropping bombs.

Friday, he stared out over the Gettysburg battlefield and pictured the Union and Confederate armies clashing, the blood that was shed. "It was the turning point of the history of our country, this battle," he said. "This is big. This is cool."